School Spotlight
Appalachian State University
Speech Code Rating
Policy 110: Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: July 20, 20213.2 Harassment Communication or conduct (e.g. verbal, physical, electronic, written, etc.) that creates a Hostile Environment or involves a Quid Pro Quo exchange for an individual within a Protected Status that unreasonably interferes with the individual’s: (a) educational environment (e.g., admission, acade... Read MoreCode of Student Conduct: Definitions
Speech Code Rating: Yellow
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: July 20, 2021“Hostile Environment” is unwelcome conduct based on protected status that is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it alters the conditions of education, employment, or participation in a University program or activity, thereby creating an environment that a reasonable person in similar circumstances and with sim... Read MoreCode of Student Conduct: Acts of Harm
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Bullying Policies
Last updated: July 20, 2021Bullying/Cyberbullying – Engaging in repeated or aggressive behaviors that intimidate, intentionally harm, control, or seek to control another individual physically, mentally, or emotionally that it alters the conditions of education, employment, or participation in a university program or activity. An isolated inci... Read MorePolicy 104: Facility Use
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Posting and Distribution Policies, Protest and Demonstration Policies
Last updated: September 22, 2020Any individual or group, whether affiliated with the University or not, may distribute at any open, exterior campus space, the use of which is not otherwise restricted or scheduled under this Policy, without registration or advance approval, any written materials on the condition that such materials are informationa... Read MoreOffice of Title IX Compliance: Definitions of Prohibited Conduct and Related Terms- Sexual Harassment
Speech Code Rating: Green
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: July 20, 2021Unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to any Appalachian education program or activity. Read More
Appalachian State University: Professor Suspended for Classroom Speech
March 16, 2012
In March 2012, tenured professor Jammie Price was placed on administrative leave after students alleged that she had created a hostile environment and strayed from the syllabus in her introductory sociology class. The allegations included making negative comments about the university and its student athletes and showing a documentary on pornography. Although what is known… Read more
Appalachian State University: Speech Code Repeal
April 5, 2006
With FIRE’s assistance, student activists at Appalachian State University brought down an unconstitutional speech code in 2006. This welcome development was a direct result of a report by FIRE and the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, as well as the efforts of the Appalachian State ACLU.
University of North Carolina System: State of the First Amendment
January 10, 2006
FIRE teamed up with the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy to release the Report on the State of the First Amendment in the University of North Carolina System. The Report notes that UNC System’s many speech codes and illiberal restrictions on religious groups would likely not survive a legal challenge. It also… Read more
REPORT: North Carolina is home to some of America’s best colleges for free speech
September 24, 2018
Eight colleges in North Carolina earn FIRE’s highest rating for free speech — more than in any other state — but 17 still maintain policies that substantially restrict student expression. PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 24, 2018 — A new report finds that North Carolina’s colleges and universities lead the way nationally for protecting student free speech. The… Read more
UNC Wilmington, Appalachian State earn FIRE’s highest rating for free speech
August 29, 2017
PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Aug. 29, 2017 — The University of North Carolina Wilmington and Appalachian State University have both earned the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s highest, “green light” rating for protecting student and faculty free speech, a distinction held by only 35 institutions nationwide. With eight institutions earning FIRE’s top rating, North Carolina leads the country… Read more
The Problematic State of Free Speech at North Carolina Universities
July 29, 2016
There should be no place safer for free speech and academic freedom than a public university. After all, as state agents, they are legally—and morally—bound to respect their students’ constitutional rights. So why have many of the public universities in my home state of North Carolina egregiously violated the rights of their students? Why does… Read more
After Ruling, Select Due Process Claims to Proceed in Student Lawsuit Against University, Administrators
July 31, 2015
Many students who believe they were denied due process in campus sexual assault proceedings have turned to the courts, alleging that they were deprived of critical rights and, often, that they were victims of sex discrimination in violation of Title IX. On the whole, those cases have been an uphill battle for plaintiffs, although a… Read more
FIRE’s Robert Shibley Speaking at Appalachian State University This Evening
March 3, 2014
Students and FIRE supporters in the Boone, North Carolina, area are invited to hear FIRE Senior Vice President Robert Shibley speak at Appalachian State University (ASU) tonight at 7 p.m. in the Beacon Heights of Plemmons Student Union.
Media Continues to Report on FIRE’s ’10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech’ List
January 17, 2014
In early January we reported on the coverage that FIRE’s list of 2013’s worst colleges for free speech received from various local media outlets. Over the past few weeks, the press has continued to draw attention to the nefarious reputation that these schools have developed for violating students’ and professors’ free speech rights. In North Carolina, which holds the… Read more
North Carolina Newspaper: Free Speech ‘Indispensable Ally’ of Tolerance
January 6, 2014
An eloquent editorial penned by the editors of North Carolina newspaper The Wilson Times takes the state’s public colleges and universities to task for failing to respect student free speech rights. The editors note that FIRE recently named two North Carolina institutions—Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—to our annual list of the nation’s… Read more
The 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2013
December 27, 2013
College is where inquisitive minds go to be exposed to new ways of thinking. But on some campuses, the quest for knowledge is frustrated when administrators censor speech they would prefer be kept out of the marketplace of ideas. To close out the year, we at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) want to highlight… Read more
The End to My ‘Sexy’ Academic Career
July 26, 2013
Madeline Gootman is a FIRE summer intern. As most of my friends will tell you, I am an outspoken young woman when it comes to matters of sexuality and sexual health. I recently joined the Vanderbilt Peer Sex Educators, an organization of students formed to increase the campus dialogue surrounding sexual health. In addition to… Read more
Please Explain Why Putting University Administrators in Charge of Judging Speech Is a Good Idea
July 9, 2013
My colleagues have done a thorough job of explaining why defenders of the Department of Education’s “blueprint” for preventing campus sexual harassment are on very shaky legal and logical ground. They have pointed out that some of ED’s allies have misquoted the findings letter and mocked Senator John McCain’s serious questions about the threat to… Read more
Bell Tolls for Appalachian State Chancellor, Not the Liberty Bell!
April 23, 2013
There’s an old saying FIRE recycles on occasion to mark the end of a university president’s tenure when that tenure has been marred by a disregard for campus free speech: The bell tolls for [insert name of president here]—not the Liberty Bell! It’s been a long time since we dusted off that FIRE favorite, but… Read more
App State Faculty Senate Votes ‘No Confidence’ In Two Top Academic Administrators
March 26, 2013
Appalachian State University Sign – Photo via Appstate.edu The Appalachian, the student paper at Appalachian State University, reports that yesterday the university’s Faculty Senate passed motions voting "no confidence" in Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Lori Gonzalez and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Anthony Carey. According to The Appalachian, "[t]he motions were brought about by a… Read more
FIRE Supports Appeal of Unjustly Punished Appalachian State Professor
March 25, 2013
Appalachian State University Campus. Wikimedia Commons. Last week, FIRE sent a letter to Appalachian State University’s (App State’s) Board of Trustees supporting the grievance of tenured sociology professor Jammie Price, who in 2012 was wrongly suspended without due process and ordered to complete a "professional development plan" that violated her academic freedom. FIRE has followed Price’s… Read more
‘Daily Tar Heel’ on Jammie Price Case at Appalachian State
December 3, 2012
Last week, The Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill covered a case of interest both locally to North Carolina residents and to those around the country who care about academic freedom: that of tenured professor Jammie Price at Appalachian State University (ASU). Price was placed on administrative leave last… Read more
‘Watauga Democrat’ on FIRE’s ‘Spotlight’ Report, Appalachian State’s Speech Codes
February 14, 2012
Writing for the Watauga Democrat of Boone, North Carolina, Anna Oakes picks up on FIRE’s recent speech code report, Spotlight on Speech Codes 2012: The State of Free Speech on Our Nation’s Campuses, and highlights the "red light" rating that Appalachian State University (ASU) receives for maintaining an unconstitutional harassment policy. (ASU additionally maintains three… Read more
Under Pressure, Appalachian State Revises Licensing Policy
September 8, 2009
As The Appalachian, a student newspaper at Appalachian State University (ASU), reported last week, the Appalachian State chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has successfully intervened on behalf of students whose speech was threatened by ASU’s trademarking and licensing policy, resulting in changes to the policy to make it more compatible with principles… Read more
A Message to Students
April 5, 2006
At FIRE, we stand ready and willing to help students whose expressive rights have been violated by their universities. Another key part of our mission, however, is to provide students with tools they can use to stand up for their own rights. Our Report on the State of the First Amendment in the University of… Read more
Speech Code Falls at Appalachian State University
April 5, 2006
BOONE, N.C., April 5, 2006—With the assistance of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), student activists at Appalachian State University (App State) have brought down an unconstitutional speech code. This welcome development was a direct result of a recent report by FIRE and the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, as… Read more